Playing Along
by gladysnotw
Summary: A Christmas party is just what Jen's parents, John and Holly, needed. But, when a group of terrorists come in to hold the guests hostage and commit a robbery, Christmas turns into chaos. It's life or death with Hans Gruber calling the shots, keeping Jen in his lustful eye. Can every life be saved? Can a monster truly love? {one-sided love; violence}
1. Chapter 1

I noticed dad arrive to the Christmas party and welcomed him with a large hug. He let out a small chuckle and held me tightly.

"How's my little girl, huh?" he asked.

I gave him a small look. "I'm great, Dad. Mom's in her office, I think."

"I'll get to her later. We've got lots to talk about." he said, taking a drink from a tray.

"Well, I graduated last week."

"I heard. Saw the pictures online. You looked beautiful."

"Thanks, Dad. Wish you could've been there."

He sighed. "I know, baby. But, I'm here now."

I gave him a content smile.

"So, Jen, where's Mom again?"

"Come on."

I led him to mom's office and she was surprised to see him as I was. "John..."

They just stared at each other and talked. I couldn't help but smile at that. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift than seeing my parents together and talking. Just like they used to.

"Mom? I'm going to head to the lobby and see if Chris is here." I said, from the door.

"Okay, honey." she said, staring at my father.

Dad turned to look at me in shock and smiled. "Jennifer? You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!"

I laughed. "If he shows up, you can meet him, daddy."

"I'd be honored." he said, with a smile.

"Okay, but _no_ awkward questions. You said you'd promise to leave your fancy cop badge in New York." I said, giving him a warning look.

"Did I say that?"

I gave him a look and we both laughed. I hurried down the elevator to call my my boyfriend. It had already gotten dark and he still hadn't shown up.

"Chris, are you coming or what?" I asked, on the phone.

" _Hey, babe. Look, I...I think that, uh,-"_

I knew that tone. "You can't come."

" _Look, I know I promised to meet your dad, but my dad's been drinking again and he...well, you know how he gets. I don't want to upset him and ruin the evening for my mom, okay?"_

"No, Chris, it's fine. Really, i-it's okay. I understand." I sighed.

" _I'm really sorry, Jen. I'll make it up to you somehow. I swear._ "

"No, you don't have to do that, babe, okay? I love you, you know that. I understand that you can't make it. Maybe some other time, alright?"

" _Okay. Sorry again. But, I'll try to call you later. Maybe I can at least talk to your dad."_

I smiled. "I'll be waiting for your call. Bye."

" _Later_."

I hung up and sighed. I understood completely. Chris' father was unbearably cruel, but only when he drank. I could only hope that he'd be okay. Before going back up, I went to the bathroom. The elevator was about to close, but I rushed over.

"Hey, wait! Hold the elevator, please!" I called out.

The doors stopped and opened up. Inside was a large group of men. The one in the middle of them wore a long coat and had a well-groomed beard. His hair was alight brown, blond-ish color, and he had hazel eyes.

I sighed with relief. "Thanks."

Because it was so crowded, I had to stand next to the blonde one. I could tell when he eyed me from head to toe that he was creep. I shot him a glance when he was looking at me and he smiled.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You mind not staring at me? I get chills being in an elevator, and your vulture stare doesn't help ease them."

His accent was a bit off to me. It sounded German, but I wasn't sure. I wasn't an expert in accents. My major was English.

"You were invited to the festivities?" he asked, slowly.

"No, I'm just party-crashing." I said, with a small laugh. "Yes, I was invited. Did you think I was trying to rob the place?"

He side-smiled. "No."

 _Ding!_

 _"_ That's our job." he said.

Suddenly, all the men behind him took out machine guns and I gasped. His hand grabbed my throat, choking me. He leaned in close to my ear, and I could smell whatever cologne he had on.

"Stay quiet and you might live." he sneered.

He released my neck and one of his goons wrapped his arm around my waist. The doors opened and they entered, firing a few shots into the room. The guests all screamed and were moved to the center of the room. The goon holding me followed the blonde one, whom I realized was their leader.

While the goons were rounding up the guests, the blonde one took out a gun and fired at me. The bullet nearly hit me and I screamed. The guests saw this and slowly grew silent with a few murmuring. The blonde one grabbed me from the back of my brown hair, and held me close.

"Next person to talk and I will not miss the next shot." he said, aloud.

He placed his gun at my side, roughly. Once the room had quieted down, he let out a small chuckle. "Now, let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

* * *

 **A/N: So I recently got into Die Hard and fanfics related to it, and I am surprised at how few there are about Hans Gruber! He's awesome and I think he deserves another fanfic in his honor. May or may not continue this, but here's chapter 1, regardless!**


	2. Chapter 2

I was tossed into the crowd and made my way through to find my mom. She hugged me as the blonde leader walked through, trying to find someone. Finally, he found him. My mother's boss. He was standing beside her and I felt her cringe when he was discovered. They grabbed him and took him to the elevator. Mom was panicking, eagerly wanting to stop them.

 _Dad, where are you?_

 _"_ Stop." mom spoke up.

All the goons paused and looked at the blonde one. He slowly looked over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows. "Pardon?"

"That's my boss you're taking." Mom said, bravely.

I held her arm as she spoke, and the blonde man chuckled. "And, you are?"

"Miss Genero. By the way, we have a woman here who's pregnant. So, I request that you bring her something more comfortable to sit on. Don't worry, she's not due for a couple of weeks."

The blonde man nodded to one of his goons. "Consider it done."

* * *

After a few minutes, we heard a gunshot. Mom shut her eyes and hugged herself. Her boss had probably been killed. Someone had to do something. Dad was somewhere in the building, and I had a hunch that he was still alive. As if to confirm, one of the goon's radio's went off and I heard the blonde man's voice.

He and a few other goons were talking, and were interrupted by my father's. I smiled and felt a bit better knowing he was on to these guys. Mom shared a glance at me and smiled.

"I knew your father would do something." she whispered.

"You and me both." I replied.

After a while, I had to go to the bathroom and asked one of the goons to take me. He agreed with a grunt and escorted me. Inside, I washed my hands and heard something moving. Looking up, it sounded like it was coming from the ventilation system.

"Dad..." I said, quietly.

Turning my head, I saw one of the vent's on the wall, near the floor. I kneeled down beside it and swallowed.

"Dad?" I whispered.

Suddenly, the moving stopped.

"Dad? It's me." I whispered.

"Jen? For the love of God, is that you?" I heard my father whisper.

I sighed in relief. "Dad, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, sweetie, I'm fine. How's your mom?"

"She's fine. We're all being held in the room where the party was. You figure out what these guys are up to?"

"I heard about a vault, but not much more. I've already figured out their leader's name, though. Hans Gruber."

"The blonde one?" I asked.

"Don't know. Only heard his voice. Haven't seen the guy yet."

"It must be him. I ran into them in the elevator about an hour ago. They said they're robbing the place, so that must mean whatever's in that vault, it's what they're after."

"How are you here? You escape?"

"No, I had one of them escort me to the bathroom. Dad, you've got-"

The bathroom door burst open and the goon came in, holding his gun. "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

I heard my father mutter a curse, and I stood up. "Nothing."

He didn't buy it and came towards me, looking down at the vent. He gave it a kick and looked back at me. Then, he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the bathroom. He took me past the crowd and my mom held her breath when she saw me. The goon dragged me into my mom's office and I saw the blonde one, sitting at my mother's desk.

"Why are you here and not out looking for _him_?" he asked, with a glare.

"I caught her in the bathroom, talking into of the vents." the goon replied, shoving me into the chair in front of the desk.

"Is that true?" the blonde man asked me, leaning onto the desk.

"Yes." I replied, quietly.

It would've been pointless to lie. The goon had seen me and there was no denying it.

"And, who were you talking to?"

I swallowed. "There...I heard a noise coming from the vent. It sounded like someone was inside. I called out to see who it was, and I heard a man's voice. I thought about asking him to get help."

"And?"

" _Hans? Hans! Don't you lay a hand on her! You hear me?"_ the radio cracked.

Hans grabbed the radio and spoke into it. "Who might you be referring to, cowboy?"

" _Don't throw that kinda crap at me! You know I'm talking about..the girl!"_

"Why is she so important to you? You know her?"

A pause. " _She's just a kid, Hans. Leave her out of this."_

"Answer the question." Hans growled.

" _No, I don't know her! Jesus, just let her go!"_

Hans shut the radio off and motioned for his goon to leave the room. I kept my eyes on the floor, as he door shut. Hans reached into his suit and pulled out a gun. I held my breath.

"Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?" he asked.

I swallowed. "Beth."

"Miss Beth, I'm a very tolerant man. I can see that you're not a threat to me or my business here. I've never killed someone as young as you, but there's a first time for everything."

"Look, don't beat around the bush, please. If you're gonna kill me, just-"

He cocked his gun and aimed it at me. "May I continue?"

I didn't reply.

He stood up, still holding the gun. He pulled my chair back a bit and kneeled down in front of me. Slowly, his hand stroked my cheek and traced my jawline. I just closed my eyes and prepared for the worst.

"Are you afraid of me?" he whispered.

I opened my eyes and looked into his. They were hazel and just beautiful. "No."

He side-smiled and cupped the side of my face. "I plan to leave here with my money, but I have no one at home, waiting for my safe return, you see."

He continued. "No one to hold me and make me feel...free."

His hand snaked behind my head and I felt him, slowly, bring my face closer to his. I leaned in closer and could smell his cologne again. His eyes dug into mine and our lips were an inch apart.

Then, I spit into his eye and he drew back, wiping it. I gave him a burning glare, and he chuckled. "You're not very submissive. I like it. You're not a pathetic woman to easily throw yourself at a man with power, money,..."

He grabbed my chin. "...and your life in his hands."

"I'm not afraid of you. You're just a coward that waves guns in people's faces." I said, through gritted teeth.

One of his goons burst into the room, panting. "The police our outside. They're sending a large van near the back of the building."

"Tell the others on the radio. I'll be back in a moment." Hans said, heading to the front door.

The goon stepped out of his way and Hans paused. "And, tie her up. I'll be back."

"With pleasure."

* * *

 **A/N: So, that's chapter 2! I guess I'll continue this, mostly because I'm liking the story so far and we NEED MORE DIE HARD FANFICS, PEOPLE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry about not updating, but life's taken a hold on me! Anywho, chapter 3!**

I heard loud explosions coming from outside. People began yelling and shouting. The room got a bit bright for a moment from the light of the flames outside. I struggled against the ropes that bound my hands behind the chair, but it was useless. Hans came back in with his radio and I heard my father's voice. He was yelling and shouting curses.

Hans put the radio down and lowered the volume. "How are we? Comfortable?"

"No, I'm still missing a massage and a diet Coke." I spat.

He smiled. "I'll see what I can do about that."

He circled the chair and stood behind me. He placed his hands on my shoulders and leaned close to my ear. "It's a waste to see someone so stunning being treated like this. What I would give..."

His hand moved down to my neck and up to my mouth. "...to get a taste of your lips."

I swallowed as I got an idea. "What's stopping you?"

"Nothing." he whispered.

He moved in front of me and eyed my lips. Then, he leaned in and kissed me. I kissed him back and closed my eyes. We parted and he breathed in.

"That was pleasing." he breathed.

"I hate to admit it, but it sure as hell was." I said.

"You see, Miss Beth, when I set my mind on something, I always get it when I want it."

"Must come in handy." I smiled.

He smiled back. "Since we're alone, and you seem to be more...cooperative, tell me about yourself."

He sat back in his chair behind the desk and I chuckled a bit. "You're really something, you know. But, I'll humor you and play along. I graduated from high school not too long ago and I plan to go to college. Or, at least, that _was_ the plan."

"Was?"

"Well, seeing the state of things, I have a feeling that college and life as I know it is out of the question." I said, suddenly frowning.

He lowered his eyes and cleared his throat. The room was quiet for a bit and he spoke up again.

"It isn't."

"What?"

"You can still have a life after this. A life...with me."

 _Oh, brother, is this guy for real?_

"With you?" I asked.

He hesitated but continued. "I was going to do it anyway, but seeing as how accepting you are of things, I thought it would be appropriate to inform you."

 _Accepting?_

"No, I get it...I think. I know you're not as bad as you may act. You're a pretty...decent guy. Well, underneath it all." I said, smiling.

We exchanged a laugh and looked into my eyes. "So, you wouldn't mind...coming with me?"

 _When did this guy turn into a toddler?_

"I mean, I'll miss New York." I shrugged.

He looked confused. "No family?"

"My parents split up a while ago, but always go gaga for each other when they're together. It's annoying."

I was being honest. I wished my parents would stop acting like they don't get along and get back together. I would've given anything for it to happen. Hans shared my hurt and lowered his eyes. Then, he got up and untied me.

 _No freaking way..._

He held my shoulders and looked at me. "I've never met someone as calm as you are in such a situation and I find that...very genuine and attractive. Forgive me for us not meeting on better terms, but fate can be a funny thing."

"Amen to that." I smiled.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "Your eyes are beautiful."

He side-smiled. "I was going to say the same about you."

"You're not so bad when you aren't aiming guns at people's faces."

"It can be necessary, but you're the first exception."

I frowned. "The _only_ exception. Now, are you going to keep flirting or are you going to shut up and kiss me?"

He lips met mine and he held me in his arms.

 _God, I'm going to boil my lips and bleach my teeth when this is all over._

But, I knew that if I was going to have any chance at walking away, I had to give this guy what he wanted. Keep him happy for enough time.

"I should check for-"

"Shut _up_." I said, bringing his lips back to mine.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry this is so embarassingly short, but it is what it is! More to come...**


	4. Chapter 4

I'm not going to deny that Hans Gruber was a good kisser. He really was. Too bad I hated the guy with whatever sanity I had left. He was madly in love with me and I thought it was really creepy. Sure, I went along with it, but that's because I had come too far to back down. If I showed any discomfort or refused him, I'd be a dead girl.

We were sitting on the sofa together and his eyes were on me like glue. I just played with my hands, hoping my dad was okay. I hadn't heard anything from the radio or Hans's goons, so I could only assume he was dead or in hiding. The police had surrounded the place and I think the FBI was outside. It was getting insane.

"What made you come to a party like this by yourself?" he asked.

I was afraid he would ask me that. Luckily, I was able to think something up. I looked into his eyes, trying not to shake or look scared.

"I'm an intern here. My mom's good friends with her boss. Well, she _was_." I said.

"Was?"

"Well, seeing as he didn't come back after you took him, I'm just assuming he's no longer among the living." I said, lowering my eyes,

I knew Hans's death stare too well. I could only imagine how scared mom's boss was when they took him. Hans had a really creepy stare and a calm voice when he was aiming a gun at someone's face.

"He was being stubborn. If you had been there, you would understand." he said, staring at the floor.

I tried to change the subject. "But, I'm an intern. My mom's boss gave me the job since my mom used to work here."

"They hired a very clever young woman." Hans said, looking at me.

I did my best to blush and smile.

The radio made a noise and Hans stood up. He grabbed the radio and walked out of the room.

 _Dad..._

"Don't do anything stupid." I whispered, as if my father could hear me.

Hans rushed into the room after a moment. He grabbed his gun on the desk and looked at me.

"You must come with me." he said, helping me get up.

"Why?"

"The cowboy's been a thorn in my side and I have some of his mess to clean up upstairs." he replied.

Hans referred to my father as 'the cowboy', since he didn't know his name. God, my dad can be a real joker.

"What do you need me for?" I asked.

"If we bump into him, we'll act as guests from the festivities. If things get worse, I'll need you as leverage, but not to worry. I'll keep you safe and won't hurt you." he said, staring at my lips.

I smiled. "Hey, as long as you don't get _yourself_ hurt, I'll be okay."

He kissed me again. I swallowed my vomit and followed him out of the room.

We headed upstairs and he found a box filled with wires. He started to fiddle with it and I kept watch. I hoped I could see my father and manage to get away from Hans. Being with a terrorist isn't how I plan to spend the rest of my life. Funny guy but not my type. Plus, he was probably more than twice my age.

We heard a few shots and ducked. Together we jumped down and landed in front of a man. Hans was on all fours and slowly looked up. My eyes widened.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" my father asked.

I shook my head at him with my eyes widened. He seemed to get my message. Hans stood up and began tp panic.

"Oh, God. You're one of them! Please, don't shoot us. Please!" he begged, holding me close to him.

 _What an actor._

"Hey, hey, easy. I'm not going to hurt you." my father said.

He looked awful. He was covered in blood and was sweating. In his hand was a gun and he was barefoot.

"We managed to get apart ftom the group. We were hoping to get some help." I said, calmly.

My father nodded. "Stick with me and you'll be alright."

Hans held my hand and followed my father into a room. The floor was marble and it was quiet.

"You smoke?" my father asked, taking out a pack of cigars.

I shook my head, trying to play my part well.

"Yeah." Hans replied, slightly smiling.

They smoked and started talking. I could tell in Hans's eyes that he knew exactly who he was talking to. I just hoped my dad had a plan. He knew he was talking to his daughter and a terrorist, who was acting as her date or something.

"You got a name?" my dad asked.

Hans glacned around the room once and smiled. "Clay. _Bill_ Clay."

My father took a gun out of his pocket and handed it to Hans. "You know how to shoot a gun, Clay?"

 _What the heck are you doing?_

Hans took the gun and stared at my father like he was an idiot. My father walked ahead of us and Hans grabbed my hand.

 _Oh, God, no!_


	5. Chapter 5

"Give me my detonators now." Hans said, in his normal accent

He suddenly wrapped his arm around my neck and aimed the gun at my father.

He had an amused look on his face. "Must've been tricky with that accent. You could be on TV with that accent. I bet you do a great Ed Sullivan. Why do you need the detonators, Hans? I already used the explosives."

Hans slightly rolled his eyes. "I'm going to count to three."

Dad nodded. "Yeah. Like you did with Takagi?"

Hans aimed and I held my breath as he pulled the trigger.

Click. Click. Click.

"Oops." Dad said, raising his eyebrows in fake surprise. "You think I'm that stupid, Hans?"

Hans' face turned pale. His arm tightened around my neck as the elevator nearby dinged.

Hans smirked. "You were saying."

Dad turned and ran for dear life. He jumped right through a glass door as Hans' goons came in. Hans pulled me along with him.

We ducked behind a desk and his goons fired. Hans began to shoot too.

"Shoot the glass!" he ordered, over the shooting.

"Dad..." I breathed.

I remembered his bare feet as glass covered the entire floor. I saw him slide on the floor as he fired at us. Hans wrapped his around me, protecting me from any shattered glass.

"He's gone!" one goon yelled, frustrated.

"Enough, Karl, if you had just listened to me, he'd be dead by now." Hans said, brushing glass from his suit.

We all stood and Hans held me tightly.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No. Just a little scared." I replied.

"Smile, Karl. We're back in business." Hans grinned.

We headed down to this large room where a man with glasses was operating some sort of machine.

"Nearly through, Theo?" Hans asked.

He nodded and pressed a few buttons on the machine. Hans put his arm around me and held me close.

I was dead tired. It had been a long night and I was convinced that I wasn't going to make it out with the right people.

"Hurry." Hans said.

"I know the drill." Theo said, with a laugh. "

Hans rolled his eyes.

"Get it? Drill? Ah, forget it." Theo said.

I rolled my eyes. "Can we not be here?"

Hans looked down at me. "You've read my mind. Come."

We left the room and entered my mom's office, they already moved some of the hostages.

"Where are you putting the hostages?" I asked him.

"The roof." he replied.

He closed the office door and we sat back down on the sofa. He held me close and kissed the top of my head.

"Tired?"

"Just a little."

"Here." he scooted a bit and he put my head on his lap.

Then, he started stroking my hair. I tried not to panic and relaxed.

"You're so tense." he said.

"It's been a tough night." I shrugged.

I could hear the TV in the background. The news was on.

"Excuse me, I need to see what they know." he said, as I sat up.

I groaned and he chuckled. He turned up the volume of the TV and stood in front of it, watching.

"...because he's a very brave policeman. And your mom and older sister, Jen, have shown just as much courage, right, John?"

My heart jumped to my throat. I looked up at the TV and saw my little brother and sister on live TV. A news reporter had surrounded them with their camera crew and such. I felt a lump build up in my throat.

The reporter continued. "But is there something you would like to say to them if they're watching?"

Little John Jr. didn't say anything, but Lucy looked at the camera with her innocent eyes.

"Come home." she said, near tears.

I felt my heart race as Hans grimaced. He turned to look at my mother's desk. Then, he spotted a photo of my siblings and I with dad.

I stared at Hans, fear gnawing at my heart. Hans looked at me, smiling.

"Well, isn't this a surprise?"

I tried to remain calm. We both just stared at each other for a minute. Then, I jumped over the sofa, heading for the door.

But, Hans was quick. He grabbed me, pinning my arms to my sides and dragged me back.

"Let go of me!" I yelled.

"So, this whole thing was just an act." he said, getting angry.

He threw me back onto the couch and grabbed a handgun from the desk. He aimed it at me and I put my hands up.

"You know, I really meant everything I said and did." he said, leaning into my face.

I was too scared to say anything.

"You said you'd leave this building with me, and I loathe people who don't keep their promises." he said, sternly.

"You're not getting out of this building. There's cops and FBI out there and you're just a bunch of regular thieves-"

He gave me a hard slap.

"I'm an exceptional thief, Miss McClane." he said, angrily.

I felt my eyes sting. Tears went down my cheeks and he wiped them with his thumb.

"You're coming with me, only this time, you'll be under...stricter surveillance, shall we say?"

He leaned into my face but I turned away. I felt his nose brush against my cheek and he inhaled. His lips touched my cheek and gave them a small peck.

"My dad is going to kill you." I whispered.

"I've gotten death threats countless times. You can see by my current state that they've never gone through very well."

"And, believe me, no one regrets it more than I do." I spat.

He smiled. "You truly are John McClane's daughter."

He gave me a small kiss and grabbed his radio.

"Ready, Theo?" he asked.

"Merry Christmas, ladies!" he replied.

Hans smiled and turned the radio off.

"Get up and turn around." he said.

I obeyed. Refusal wasn't going to do me any good. He tied my hands behind my back and led me out of the office. We stopped when we heard shooting coming from the roof.

He dragged me to a window and saw helicopters coming toward the building.

"Dad..." I smirked.

"I'm sure he'll be be glad to see you."

* * *

Hans and his goons were heading toward a back exit of the building. The roof had been exploded but none of the hostages were on it, thanks to my father.

We stopped when we heard a sound. Hans kept a good grip on my arm as we all watched in silence.

Then, my father came into view. His clothes were burned and he was bloody and exhausted.

I gasped when I saw him. "Dad."

Hans pressed his gun against my head. "I've grown quite fond of her, and I'd prefer to take her back home without a bullet hole in her head."

"We gotta stop meeting like this, Jen." my dad said, exhausted.

He looked at Hans. "So why nuke the building, Hans?"

Hans shrugged. "When you steal six hundred dollars, you can disappear...but when you steal six hundred million, they will find you...unless you play dead."

He aimed the gun he was holding at my dad and he put his hands on his head.

"Which happens to be your next role. Drop your gun, please." Hans said, calmly.

Dad hesitated, looking at me. Hans noticed and chuckled.

"Wonderful actress, she was. You should be proud, Mr. McClane."

"Oh, I sure as hell am. You did good, Jen." Dad said.

Hans pressed his gun against my head harder and I winced. Dad twitched and Hans' goon raised his own gun.

"Nein, dies ein ist mein." Hans said to the goon.

"Hans, stop." I said, suddenly. "You've got your money and you've got me, now just let him go."

Hans placed a kiss on my cheek, making my father turn red with anger.

"Very brave of you, but I'm afraid your father has caused me too much trouble. This time John Wayne does not walk off into the sunset with Grace Kelly." Hans said, his lips in my ear.

"That was Gary Cooper, you sh-." Dad corrected him.

"No more jokes, drop it or she gets it between the eyes!"

Dad obeyed. "Whoa, Hans, now you're the cowboy?"

Hans chuckled. "What was it you said to me? Yippee-Kah-"

I cut in. "I'd rather not hear that repeated, thanks."

Suddenly, my dad winked at me.

"Jen, now!" he yelled.

With all my strength, I slammed my foot against Hans's leg and he gave a cry of pain. I ducked and heard gun shots.

Suddenly, something heavy fell onto of me and tackled me down.

I screamed, realizing it was Hans. He pinned me down and gave me a hard punch. I saw stars and felt lightheaded.

Another gunshot and Hans' hazel eyes widened. Blood splattered from his arm and onto my face. His body slumped over me and his face was practically on mine.

"Daddy? Daddy, tell me you're not dead." I said, with a shaky voice.

"I'm not dead, sweetie." he said, taking the body off of me.

He untied me and I hugged him tightly. We stood up and we walked towards the hall.

Suddenly, a hand pulled me back and shoved a gun at my head. They yanked my head back by my hair and I winced.

"Hans!" my father yelled.

Hans fired at the large window behind us and threw me out of it.

I screamed and pulled him with me. We both fell but I managed to grab hold of the ledge. He gripped my wrist tightly, trying to aim his gun.

"Gimme your hand, Jen!" Dad said, holding out his hand.

"I..I can't! If I let go..." I cried.

He used all his strength to pull us up. Hans held onto me and we were brought back through the window. Dad let out a large grunt and laid on his back, exhausted.

"Daddy..." I said, trying to wipe the blood on his face.

Suddenly, Hans hoisted me to my feet and fired at my father.

"No!" I screamed.

Dad groaned in pain. The bullet grazed his leg and it was bleeding heavily.

I turned to Hans, ready to beg for my father's life.

"Hans, please don't-"

"Don't say anything or I'll shoot you too!" he yelled.

I held his face in my hands and kissed him hard. He let his guard down for a moment and closed his eyes. His hand snaked behind my head and pushed me closer to him.

I pulled away, close to tears. "Take me home. Just take me and leave him."

He wrapped his arm around me and led me away. Dad held out his hand, weakly.

"Jenny...don't do this, baby girl."


	6. Chapter 6

Hans and I walked down the building and into the basement where the rest of his goons were waiting. They were climbing into an ambulance and we got in, as well. Hans kept his arm around me and aimed his gun at my waist. We sat down and his goons stared.

The ambulance was started and its siren went off. Hans touched my lips, noticing that they were bleeding.

"Give me some ice." he told one of the goons.

They opened one of the first-aid kits and tossed him a pack of ice. He held it against my lip.

"Better?" he asked.

I didn't answer.

He put the pack down and stroked my face, staring at my lips.

"You'll like Germany." he said with his monotone voice.

"To Hell with Germany." I said, coldly.

He chuckled as he sat beside me, wrapping his arm around my neck. The ambulance started and drove out of the building. The siren was going off and I could people shouting and cars honking as they moved out of the way.

"You truly are remarkable." I muttered. "Using an ambulance to get out of town."

Hans spoke into my ear. "Very remarkable."

Suddenly, the ambulance came to a halt. Hans turned his head to glance at the driver.

"What happened?" he asked.

No reply came. A crash was heard and a gunshot.

Then, the little window separating the back of the ambulance from the front opened and more gunshots were fired. Hans's goons dropped dead and his grip around my neck tightened.

"Jen...Jen, you hear me?"

 _Dad..!_

Hans acted quickly and covered my mouth with his hand. "You seem to have a difficulty staying dead, Mr. McClane."

Dad climbed through the window, holding his gun. "Difficulty? It's not that hard to avoid death, as long as you're smart enough."

Hans gripped my neck with his other hand. "Don't come a step closer. I would hate to break such a beautiful neck."

"It's over, Hans. The cops have probably noticed this crashed ambulance and are on their way."

"This ambulance is still mobile. You drive since you've already killed my previous driver."

My dad chuckled. "I'm a cop, not a medic."

Hans shrugged. "Your choice."

I let out a muffled cry as Hans squeezed my neck tightly. I couldn't breathe.

"Whoa, whoa, hey! I'll drive, alright? Just leave her alone." Dad said, holding his hands up.

Hans's grip loosened and I inhaled deeply. "Drop your gun."

Dad obeyed and climbed through the window and started the ambulance. He had to back it up a bit and continued driving as the siren continued.

"Where to, chief?" he called out from the driver's seat.

"You killed my navigator, Mr. McClane. Now, you must figure a way out of town." Hans called back.

"Looks like you're screwed. I don't really remember the streets around here."

"Then, allow me to refresh your memory."

Hans grabbed my arm and painfully twisted it behind my back. I held in any noise and he chuckled.

"You can do better than that, can't you?" he asked.

He twisted it even more and I couldn't help it. I let out a small cry.

"What are you doing to her? Get your damn hands off her!" Dad yelled as he drove.

"Then, get us out of town before I lose my patience."

Hans released my arm and I cradled it. My father hadn't been in New York in ages. There was no way he was going to get us out before Hans lost it. I knew the streets but that would remove my father's usefulness to Hans. He might kill him. I had to think of something.

Before I could think, Hans stroked my short hair and tilted his head in curiosity. "Why is your hair cut this way?"

I gave him a cold look. "Like what?"

"Like a boy's. I've seen many American women and most of them have long hair. But, not you."

"It's just a style, okay?"

He frowned and held the side of my face with his hand. "It's not a common style, is it?"

"Why the hell do _you_ care?"

He turned red with anger and grabbed the back of my hair. He brought my cheek to his lips and spoke angrily.

"Your attitude has been too comfortably harbored in the dock of my patience. Face the future ahead of you and deal with it. When we get out of town, I will shoot your father and rip out his sarcastic tongue."

"You want to talk about the future? Fine. You're going to have to shoot me too. I'd rather be a corpse on the side of the freeway than go to Germany with a rotten thief with no conscience." I spat.

He yanked my head back so I could only look at the ceiling. "No conscience? My conscience is what has kept you alive this past hour. You may not believe this but I truly care for you, despite your little act. I would give nothing more than to just make love to you...right now."

"You're a really charming guy. I almost believe that you care about me."

"I would be happy to make you believe."

He made me face him, hugged me with one arm and pushed my head towards him with the other. I let out a muffled scream as we kissed. He held me tightly and I had no way to fight back. I screamed again but Dad couldn't hear me. Hans leaned me against the wall of the ambulance and put all his weight on me.

He parted to catch his breath and his lips were on mine again. I let out another scream and Dad heard it. The ambulance stopped and Hans looked at the driver's seat.

Dad came into the back, clenching his fists. "You're going to have to kill me and drive this damn thing yourself. I won't let you run your filthy hands over my daughter and pretend like nothing's wrong by driving this stupid thing."

I was silently crying now. Hans rolled his eyes and aimed the gun at my father. "It's your decision."

I acted fast. I kicked his leg but he fired the gun before he dropped it. He lunged at me as the bullet buried into my father's leg. Hans tackled me down and grabbed my throat with both hands. He was choking me.

"I don't need a gun to finish you!" he sneered.

I stared up at the ceiling and thought about Lucy and John Jr. Their little faces clouded my mind.

A gunshot pulled me back to reality. Hans's body collapsed ontop of me and I screamed. His weight kept me from being able to breathe.

"Jen!" Dad shouted. "Jen, baby, can you hear me?"

I was in total shock that I couldn't answer.

I heard his voice shake. "Jen? Baby girl..?"

I croaked. "Help..."

He gasped and pushed Hans's body to the side. I gasped as I was now able to breathe. My father was on the floor, his leg wounded badly. He crawled towards me as police sirens rang.

He pulled me into a hug and I cried. Despite all the pain and soreness of my body and the chaos going on outside the ambulance, I heard my father's voice.

"You did good, baby. You're okay."

The ambulance doors opened and officers came in, aiming their guns. They helped us out and drove us to the hospital. I fell asleep in the ambulance and woke up in the hospital as my mom was stroking my hand.

She gasped when I opened my eyes. "John..John, she's awake!"

I turned my head and saw that Dad was in a bed next to mine. He was all bandaged up and his face was clean.

"How you doing, Jen?" he asked.

"I'm fine. You look like crap." I smiled.

"Trust me, I know. I _feel_ like crap."

Another face came into view. Black hair and brown eyes. I knew that face anywhere.

"Chris.." I croaked.

He held my hand and looked into my eyes. "Thank God, you're okay."

I squeezed his hand. "Thank my dad."

Chris looked over at my dad. He gave a curt nod. "Thank you, sir. She means everything to me."

My dad smiled. "So, you're Chris. We've got a lot to talk about."

Mom came to my side while they talked. She ran her hand across my forehead.

"You were so brave, baby. This will all be forgotten soon. I promise." she whispered.

I wish it was true. To this day, I'll never forget that horrible night where I played with the heart of a terrorist to stay alive. I know he truly loved me. I knew it.

But, I only played along to keep myself and many others from dying at the hands of a dangerous man.

 **THE END**

 **A/N: There might be an epilogue so stay tuned for that, but otherwise, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.**


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